An Artisans Craft
by chibi.daydreamer
Summary: In the small town of Domino, there is a young man who is known worldwide as a master craftsman. And one day, in walked a handsome man looking for his help... AU YxYY
1. Artisans

**Disclaimer:** Don't own anything to do with Yu-Gi-Oh. It is owned by some obscure Japanese company that I can't remember the name of right now.

**AN:** First ever Yu-Gi-Oh fiction! It's definitely an AU, and I hope that everyone likes it! Just to warn you now, I don't like to write another chapter until I get some reviews, because I am very paranoid about how people like my writing... So if it's not good, I'll stop okay? Thanks!

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Title:** An Artisans Craft  
**Chapter: **1

Ch 1: _Artisans_

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A tiny bell sounded as the door to Artisans opened. The customer looked around curiously before stepping inside, as a voice from the back room called a greeting.

"I'll be right out! Please take a look around!"

The voice sounded young and very kind, but slightly flustered – obviously in the middle of something. It was soothing and had a little lilt to it, like the person had an accent, or was pretty young.

Poking around, but not creating a mess, the customer looked at the various pieces strewn around the room. Necklaces, bracelets, earrings, jewelery boxes, statues, brooches... All manners of beautifully crafted masterpieces were displayed in all their glory. He saw lapis lazuli stones captured in necklaces, delicate gold anklets, ruby encrusted bracelets, carefully carved oak boxes, and many other interesting and lovely things. Shafts of bright sunlight streamed through the many windows, adding an ethereal glow to the small but comfortable store. Walls of rich cherry wood panels contrasted nicely with the hardwood floors, and the shelves themselves were beautifully crafted metal. Directly across from the entrance was a glass counter, where the cash register perched, and behind it was a small doorway – which obviously led to the mysterious back room.

Hands behind his back, and leaning forward to look into a glass case which held some gold jewelery, he failed to notice the young, lithe man that stepped out from behind the counter.

"May I help you with something?"

Jerking up, crimson colored eyes clashed with deep amethyst as they measured each other up. The voice belonged to a young man – almost a teenager – who had black spiky hair that stuck up like a crown. Purple and gold streaked up into it, almost looking strange, but suiting him perfectly. He had a small face - cherub like - and very welcoming, hosting large amethyst eyes that blinking innocently back at him. He was about 5 foot 4 or so... Kinda short, but in a cute way.

"I'm sorry, I didn't see you there. My name is Atemu... But please, call me Yami. I'm here looking for Yuugi Motou?"

Bowing slightly from the waist, Yami was a very alluring figure. Standing at about 5 foot 7, he carried himself with pride and strength, his leather pants clinging tightly to muscular thighs. A black tank top clung to a muscled torso, leaving slim but strong arms bare, except for a gold band that encircled one bicep. Black hair jutted up into the air, much like the other mans, although there were crimson and gold colored streaks in his, and a chiseled and sharp face held sharp crimson colored eyes. Although the color was unnerving, they held an unexpected softness and they were kind and intelligent. His voice, a smooth baritone, was very pleasing on the ears and sent shivers down your spine.

Swallowing slightly, the amethyst eyed man answered with, "Oh, nice to meet you Yami. My name is Yuugi Motou. You were looking for me?" Yuugi gave Yami a brilliant smile, clasping his hands behind his back. Taking in the slightly shocked look on the other mans face, he giggled and answered the unspoken question that was lingering in Yami's face. "Yes, I know. You were expecting a old man with squinty eyes, right?"

Blinking rapidly to gain his composure, Yami threw his head back and laughed out loud. "I'm sorry. I actually was," he said. "Excuse me for my lack of manners. I just wasn't expected someone..." Here he drifted off, blatantly looking Yuugi up and down.

Blushing an adoring shade of red, Yuugi chuckled. "Someone so young? Don't worry, I get that a lot. Please, sit. What can I help you with?" Pulling up a stool in front of the register, he strolled around the counter until he sat behind it.

Taking up his offer, Yami sat down and rested his arms on top of the glass, hunching slightly in embarrassment. "Well... It's an odd request actually."

Lifting an eyebrow and smirking, Yuugi propped his head up on his elbow and smiled. "Trust me. Odd is someone ordering specially crafted hand-cuffs with emerald inlays and velvet lining. Your request probably is NOT odd."

Yami laughed again and shook his head in disbelief. "I don't want to know who ordered that. But yes, my order is definitely not that odd." Seeming to gather his courage, he reached into his back pocket and took out a folded piece of paper. "I actually want you to make me this." Spreading it out onto the counter-top, Yami revealed a sketch of a beautiful necklace. Draw with bold, strong strokes, it was an upside down pyramid, with a strange eye drawn into the center of it.

Tracing his fingers over the picture, Yuugi frowned in concentration. Flickering his eyes over the notes written on the side, he could see words like: 'gold' and 'necklace'. Eyes drifted to the middle of the pyramid, until they lit up in recognition. "Well. You must be an ancient Egyptian fan."

"Ancient Egypt?" Yami said, sounding puzzled.

"Huh? Why else would you want the Eye of Horus on your necklace?"

Seeing the confused frown on his customers face, Yuugi smiled gently and started to explain. "The Eye of Horus was the Egyptian sign for the great Pharaoh's. It was said to hold great power and help the rulers in their rebirth. Horus was the Egyptian Sky God, or the son of the Sun God, Ra. The way your drawing of the eye is facing, this one is the right eye of Horus, or the Eye of Ra. If you turn it the other way around, it would be the left eye of Horus, or the Eye of Thoth, the Moon God. Get it?"

Seeing the slack jawed expression on Yami's face, Yuugi giggled helplessly. "My grandfather was an archaeologist. He especially loved ancient Egyptian ruins."

Closing his mouth with a snap, Yami smiled. "Well, I'm glad I found you then. You're helping me immensely already."

Ducking his head in embarrassment, Yuugi's face lit up in a slight blush. Turning back to the drawing quickly, to keep himself from staring at the handsome man, he quickly changed the subject. "Uhh... Right, so how big do you want this and when would you like it finished?"

Catching the blush and the stutter, Yami grinned, and lowered his voice to a sensual whisper. "Around 5 inches will be nice," he purred.

"What!" Yuugi squawked, blushing bright red. '_Did I just hear him say what I think he said?'_

"I said, 5x5 inches if you can make it. Is that alright?" Yami said, holding back laughter and trying to look innocent.

Catching onto the joke, Yuugi glared and mock pouted. "Yes. That's fine. When would you like it finished? I have a couple of projects right now, but if you need it done quickly, I can probably finish it in about 2 to 3 months. Maybe more depending on if I can get the supplies and what not."

Frowning slightly in concentration, Yami tapped his index finger on his bottom lip. "Well, I don't mind when it's done, if it gets done as soon as possible. Money isn't really an issue either, although I hope it's not too expensive."

Smiling slightly, Yuugi pulled out an order form, grabbing a pen and getting Yami to fill out the essentials. Once he was finished, Yuugi grabbed a paper-clip and stuck both the form and the picture together. "Well, I hope you don't mind me borrowing your drawing, but I'll probably need it. If you would like, you can come by anytime and see how it's being made, I don't mind. I'm here every day and I will probably start gathering all the needed materials tomorrow. Is that alright?"

Nodding his head, Yami smiled at the smaller man while he gracefully stood up. "Excellent. Well then Yuugi, I will see you soon. Thank you very much for your help." Grabbing his hand, Yami placed a small kiss to the back of it, before striding towards the door. Looking back over his shoulder once he reached it, he smirked at the shell shocked look on Yuugi's face. Waving jauntily while he walked away, he turned onto the sidewalk and disappeared.

Yuugi Motou still stood there by the counter, cradling the hand that was kissed to his chest, until his grandfather walked into the store 20 minutes later, asking how his day went.

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Tbc...

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**AN: **How do you like it so far? Review please? 


	2. An Artists Muse

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything to do with Yu-Gi-Oh. I love them, and they're sexy, but I don't. But this plot is ALL mine!

**AN:** Second chapter! I hope it lives up to everyone's expectations!

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**Title:** An Artisans Craft  
**Chapter:** 2

Ch 2. _An Artists Muse_

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Yuugi Motou sat at a small wooden table, scratching away at a metal tablet. Sticking his tongue out in concentration, he didn't notice when the little bell above the front door rang, announcing a customer. Gripping the chisel tightly in his right hand, he carefully carved out the shape of a pyramid, flickering his eyes back and forth between the mold and the drawing. Putting down the tool and stretching his arms above his head, he wiped the beads of sweat gathering on his forehead before picking up the metal mold and peering at it with squinted eyes.

"Ahem."

Jumping in fright, Yuugi scrambled to maintain his balance on the tall stool he was sitting on. Feeling himself fall backwards, he quickly clutched the plate to his chest, praying that it wouldn't break. With a little thump, he felt himself stop falling and carefully opened one eye – then the other. He could feel whatever had stopped his fall chuckle and strong, tanned arms wrapped around his waist. Feeling a blush creep up on his cheeks, he slowly turned his head, praying that it wasn't who he thought it was.

Crimson eyes were sparkling with mirth and a hot breath chilled his left ear. 'Eeeping' in embarrassment, Yuugi quickly scrambled to right his chair and place his precious mold onto the tabletop. Releasing his captive, Yami laughed and stepped backwards, giving the little one some breathing room.

"Yami! What are you doing here? You startled me!"

Quirking his eyebrow, Yami smirked and crossed his arms. "I came into the store. No one answered. I knocked on the counter. No one answered. I saw a light in the back room. You were here... But you didn't notice me. What are you concentrating on so hard anyways?"

Feeling a blush tint his cheeks, Yuugi grinned sheepishly, and fidgeted with his fingers. "I was concentrating on your order, Yami. I tend to block out everything when I'm working."

His eyes lighting up in pleasure, Yami quickly stepped up to the table and leaned over to look at what Yuugi was working on. Seeing only a metal plate, he frowned in confusion and cocked his head to the side. "What is that?"

Giggling at the confusion etched on Yami's face, Yuugi gently lifted his mold and started explaining it to his customer. "This is the mold. I carve out the shape and the markings of the pendant in metal first, then I fill it with plaster. I like to have a model, and since you wrote here-" and he pointed to Yami's drawing, "that you wanted it made into a puzzle, I need to see the dimensions and the shape before I make each piece."

Nodding his head and watching Yuugi's animated face, Yami couldn't help but stare. The way the little ones eyes lit up in excitement, and how those full cherry lips wrapped around each word... He couldn't tear his gaze away.

"What do you think Yami...?" Yuugi trailed off. He hadn't noticed that Yami had stopped listening. He was just staring... At him.

Blinking and turning his face away, Yami could feel a faint blush raising in his cheeks. '_Gah. I was staring! Dammit Atemu, get a HOLD of yourself!'_

Mentally berating himself, he straightened up and stepped back from temptation. "Uhh... So, how long have you been working?"

Slightly frowning at the change of subject (but mentally blushing like mad), Yuugi glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. "Crap! I've been at it for 5 hours!" Groaning, he dropped his head with a _clunk_ on to the table. "I hate it when I do that."

Yami smiled gently and shook his head in amusement. "Ah, the artists' muse. I get that too. Would you like to go grab something to eat with me then?"

Turning his head in shock, Yuugi could only nod slowly.

Grinning, Yami grabbed his hand and started to pull him out of the room. "Excellent! Let's go!"

Yuugi tumbled off the stool, and quickly clicked off the lamp that sat on his desk. Passing the front counter, he quickly grabbed his keys and wallet before he was hauled out of the store.

Relishing the contact of the older mans hand, Yuugi blinked harshly at the sudden glare of light, and raised his free hand to block some of it out. "Ugh. I feel like a vampire. I haven't seen the sun in hours."

Chuckling lightly, Yami quickly tugged the other through the crowds towards his favorite diner. Holding the door open for his companion, they quickly entered the dimly lit restaurant and scanned the room for a good table.

"Well, look what the cat dragged in. How ya doin' Yami?"

Turning towards the drawling voice, Yami just smirked and raised his eyebrow in a condescending manner. "At least I don't work in a _diner_ you thief," he shot back.

Yuugi looked up at the other man, and quickly sucked in a breath. '_What is going _on_ here?'_

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Tbc...

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**AN:** Hehe, cliffhanger! Anywho, I'm sure everyone knows who's getting introduced next! Review please! 


	3. Hero Worship

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything that has to do with Yu-Gi-Oh, but I own everything else!  
**AN: **Third Chapter! Enjoy! And I loved some of the reviews! Thank you all so much!

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Title:** An Artisans Craft  
**Chapter:** 3

Ch. 3 _Hero Worship

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Amethyst eyes blinked in shock. Once. Twice. Three times. He could faintly hear Yami and his friend bantering playfully in the background, but all he could concentrate on was this stranger before him... Well... He didn't _look_ like a stranger. But what did Yami say his name was? He was sure that he heard it being mentioned... '_Starts with a B... Ba-... Ba-... Bakura? Yah, his name is Bakura... No one I know then...'_

He was tall. Probably close to 6 feet. Lightly tanned skin, strong arms, and a lean torso was hidden by a white oxford shirt that was rolled up to the elbows. Grubby looking jeans covered lean legs, and a dirty white apron, with a notebook stuck in one of the pockets, hung around his trim waist. But the most shocking thing was his hair. White hair, with black streaks, was tied messily back in a pony tail, with a few strands framing his angular face. Brown eyes, narrowed in annoyance at the moment, were hard, but had a slight mischievous glint in them. He couldn't help but feel confused. _'Why did he-'_

His thoughts were abruptly cut off when he felt Yami drag him towards a booth by the windows. Sitting down, Yuugi tore his thoughts away from the strangely familiar looking waiter and surveyed his surroundings. They were sitting in a booth that was right next to the entrance. While they were sitting slightly in the corner, they still had a nice view of several tables, the kitchen, and an old-fashion juke box that sat slightly away from everything. Outside the window, he could make out the local park, which was filled with families, couples, and some kids running around. He could feel himself relax, as the stress of his several projects seeped away, and the good company he was having un-knotted the tension that was bunched up in his shoulders.

"Feel better?"

Snapping his head up, Yuugi bashfully met the eyes of his 'savior'. Chuckling, he couldn't help but relax more, as he sat in this unknown diner with his client. "Yes actually. I was getting really stressed with all of these projects due in a few months." He sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, peering at his companion through lowered eyelashes.

Grinning, Yami couldn't stop thinking about how adorable Yuugi was. Waving away the gratitude spilling out of the little one's mouth, he picked up one of the menu's instead and passed it across the table. "Welcome to Stardust. My favorite diner, only because it's close to home and it has all-day breakfasts," he said cheekily and winked. "I recommend either the burger and fries, or something from the breakfast section. I, myself, almost always get the same thing."

Opening the menu, Yuugi couldn't help but smile too. "What do you always get then?" he asked lightly.

Resting his face on his propped up hand, he watched the other man skim through the plastic book. "Either the Traditional Eggs Benedict, or the cheeseburger with fries. For today, I think I'll choose the cheeseburger."

Nodding to himself, Yuugi mentally marveled at the wide selection of food. Although he was typical to hamburgers himself, he couldn't help but look through the salads, soups, breakfast foods, and desserts too. Tapping his bottom lip in thought, he finally decided out loud that he was going to get the same thing.

Ordering their burgers and strawberry milkshakes, they both settled down comfortably, starting a light-hearted conversation.

"So Yami, how do you know that other guy? His name was... Uhh... Bakura? Wasn't it?"

"Hmm? Oh, him? Yah, I've known him for a while now. Met up in high school. When I decided to go to university, he decided to work instead. I believe his exact words were: 'I already went to school. I fucking don't want to go again.'" Chuckling in mirth, Yami stealthily looked around, making sure the subject of their conversation wasn't in site.

Yuugi giggled, but then stopped. "Wait. University? How old are you? And what are you taking?" Blushing instantly, he hastened to add, "I- I mean. Y-You d-don't have to an-answer that i-if you don't w-want to!"

Surprised melted into a warm smile, as Yami shook his head and chuckled. "It's okay little one. In order of your questions: yes. 20. Art, Photography, and next semester I'm thinking of taking Ancient Egyptian History," he answered with a wink.

Yuugi grinned too, and quipped, "Aww, you don't like _my_ history lessons?"

Raising an eyebrow, Yami smirked and resisted the urge to say anything dirty. "Well, I don't need a lesson in history. I might need a lesson in French though," he said, saucily winking. '_Damn, no self-control. Hmm... I didn't know people could blush that shade of red...'_ Laughing out loud, he couldn't help but laugh harder when Yuugi stuck his tongue out childishly, in answer. "Sorry. That's the effect of hanging out with my friends too long. Dirty minds," he grinned innocently.

Rolling his eyes, Yuugi couldn't help but laugh. They were still chuckling when a female waiter placed their food and drinks on the table.

Inhaling the smell of delicious hamburgers, Yuugi was about to dig in, when he heard someone cough subtly to his right. Lifting his eyes in confusion, all he saw was a young boy clutching a notebook and pen to his chest. Taking in the nervous glint in his eyes, the notebook, and the young roundness of the boys face, Yuugi sighed and awkwardly put a smile on his face.

"Can I help you?" he asked politely.

"Are you Yuugi Motou?" the little boy ask, nervously twisting his fingers together.

"Yes... And you are?"

"Oh my god! You're really him!" Jumping in excitement, he kept staring, which was slightly unnerving... And drawing everyone else's attention. "Oh man, I can't believe I would run into you here! Oh my god!" Getting over his excitement, the boy grinned widely and stuck out his notebook and pen. "My name is Kiyoshi McAdams. I'm your number one fan! Can I have your autograph?"

Blushing in embarrassment, Yuugi quickly took the offered materials, scribbled his name, and handed it back. Staring down at the table in mortification, he faintly heard Kiyoshi run off, thanking him. _'Oh man... Why me?'_

Hearing a faint snort, he raised his amethyst eyes to look at Yami... Who was vainly trying not to laugh. Looking shocked, then pouting, Yuugi couldn't help but blush – again.

"What was that... that... Hero worship?" Yami got out, before he started laughing uproariously.

Rolling his eyes, Yuugi internally sighed and got ready for a long explanation. '_Like I said. Why me?'_

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Tbc...

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**AN:** You like? Please review! 


	4. Met Your Match?

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything that has to do with Yu-Gi-Oh, but I own everything else!

**AN:**Finally! Fourth chapter! Enjoy! Not so many reviews, but what can you do, right? Have fun!

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**Title:** An Artisans Craft  
**Chapter:** 4 

Ch. 4 _Met Your Match?  
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Sighing in exasperation, Yuugi looked across to the handsome crimson eyed man across from him through lowered eyelashes. 

_'God, does he know how delicious he looks?' _thought Yami with an inward groan of desire. Reining in his lust, he just raised an eyebrow in curiosity, a little smirk still playing across his lips.

Blushing lightly, the smaller man swallowed reflexively and rolled his eyes. "Duel Monsters," he said, as if those two words would explain everything.

Yami blinked. Duel Monsters? He would admit that he loved the game and that he has an special talent for it, but why would that... Eyes narrowing, he looked at the youth across from him carefully. "Yuugi Motou..." he murmured slowly. "I knew I've heard that name somewhere before. Reigning Duel Monsters champion for five years, and beater of the Masters, Seto Kaiba and Pegasus Crawford." Yami whistled in awe.

Blushing furiously, Yuugi tried to duck his head or sink into an imaginary hole. "Yes... Well..." Running out of words, he hunched his shoulders and tried to bury his flushing face into his food.

Chuckling at the other mans actions, Yami idly chewed a fry, gazing unabashedly across the table. "You know," he started, "I never entered any of those competitions... Why did you?"

Still unable to meet the crimson gaze, Yuugi swallowed the lump in his throat. "My friends all made me. They thought that I was amazing, and since I thought it would be fun, they talked me into it easily." Pausing, Yuugi sipped his strawberry milkshake, inwardly marveling about how good it was. "My grandpa owns a game shop down the street, and he introduced me to it at first. But I never thought it would go so far!" he vented. "One competition, then they secretly signed me up for another one when I won, then the next thing I know I'm playing Seto in the semi-finals, and then Pegasus Crawford in the finals!" he finished, throwing up his hands in frustration.

Smiling at Yuugi's little tantrum, Yami reached into his jacket pocket, drawing out a deck of cards. "Wanna duel?" he asked mischeviously.

Eyes widened in shock, before they narrowed in calculation, appraising his companion, taking in the cards, his eyes, and that mischevious – but damn sexy – smile. Pushing his barely touched food to the side, he reached into his special belt holster and took out his own cards.

"You're on," Yuugi said, smirking, and ignoring the gasps of the eavesdropping patrons that suddenly surrounded them.

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"Okay, I am never going to lunch with you again, if it's going to take that long!" said Yuugi jokingly. They were finally walking back to his shop, Artisans, after a four hour lunch break. The sky was starting to darken into beautiful colors of red and gold, and if they looked hard enough, there were vague outlines of stars starting to fill the sky. 

Laughing heartily, Yami shoved his hands into his jeans pockets, tilting his head up to catch the faint breeze in his hair. "Yes well, we would've been able to leave an hour earlier, if we weren't mobbed." He quickly looked over his shoulder. "Do you think they're still after us?"

Giggling, Yuugi looked behind them too and cocked his head in contemplation, all the while walking backwards. "Well... I'm sure we lost them when we bolted out of the restaurant, ran through the park, hid in those trees, dodged through different alleys, and then doubled back, just in case." He paused, pursing his lips and tapping his bottom lip with his index finger. Suddenly he frowned, then gaped in shock. "Oh shit. We didn't pay for our food did we?"

Yami smiled, and gently guided the smaller man to face forwards and towards his shop. "Don't worry. My friend Bakura will take care of it. I saw him laughing near the back of the restaurant when we bolted. I'll pay him back later."

Sighing in relief, Yuugi started heading down the street again. "Well, you can pay for our meal then. I still can't believe we tied! And we had to duel in a crowded restaurant!" he pouted adorably.

Licking his suddenly dry lips, Yami tried very hard not to give into his desire and kiss those lips. "Fine, I'll pay. I'm quite proud that I tied with you. And we didn't have to duel in the restaurant, but I thought it would be fun. Oh, and if I'm paying, then I'm calling this a date," he added flippantly.

Yuugi froze. "W-what?" he stammered. When he heard no reply, he whipped around, but Yami was already heading in the other direction.

"Bye little one! I'll see you later!" the crimson eyed man said, winking over his shoulder, and jauntily waving his hand.

Gaping like a fish, Yuugi finally registered his surroundings. He was standing outside his shop. Blushing bright red in embarrassment. _A date?!_ "Wait! Yami! Come back here!!"

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Tbc...

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**AN:** How was that? I know it's not long, but the chapters will get longer when there's more to write! Please review! 


	5. Connection

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything that has to do with Yu-Gi-Oh, but I own everything else!

**AN: **UGH! Sorry it took so long to update this story... I had a lot of technical and emotional difficulties... I think my muse is dying too... But don't worry! I will never abandon a story! Here's the long awaited chapter 5!

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**Title:** An Artisans Craft  
**Chapter:** 5 

Ch. 5 _Connection  
_

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_The darkness seemed to swallow everything._

_Never ending... never shifting... never changing..._

_Crimson eyes watched as a golden shimmer appeared before him, chasing back the darkness - chasing back the demons._

_Bobbing gently on an unfelt breeze, a golden pyramid dangled in mid-air, calling to him, whispering promises of devotion, love, and power._

_Unconsciously reaching for the artifact, the crimson eyes fell softly to half-mast, feeling a sense of longing and a kind of familiarity that he'd never felt before._

_When his fingers were inches away from the shimmering pyramid, it disappeared in a flash of blinding light, searing his eyes and making him scream out loud._

_The demons - feeling the mysterious golden _thing_ disappear - clamored once more in the darkness, screaming for blood and pain...  
_

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Yami shot up in bed, gasping for air as the dream slowly ebbed away with the sudden reality of waking. Breathing heavily, with sweat running down his bare torso, he buried his shaking hands in his untamed hair and took a couple of deep breathes.

_'God,' _he thought breathlessly, _'What was that?'_

Looking at his bedside table with sleep filled eyes, the digital alarm blared out in red letters the time. _'Three o'clock... Still much too early...'_ he thought, as the mysterious dream sank into his subconsciousness. Shifting back under his silken sheets, he feel back into an uneasy sleep, having already forgotten about the demons creeping in his mind.

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Yuugi Motou frowned, glaring at the wooden blocks, as if asking them what the hell they were doing. Rubbing a hand tiredly over his eyes, he looked at the clock hanging on the wall and stared with wide eyes. "Almost three o'clock in the morning?!" he exclaimed. "No wonder I'm so damn tired."

Grumbling, and shooting one last glare at the offending pieces on the table top, he quickly grabbed his jacket and keys, preparing to head home. Heading out of his workroom, he paused, feeling something inside of him tug slightly and an icy sensation run through his veins. He didn't even have time to voice any thoughts, before it was gone.

Shaking his head and looking at the clock again, he snorted. _'Three o'clock in the morning now,'_ he thought, sarcasm dripping in the words. _'Probably just tired,'_ he decided with a convincing nod to himself. Turning off the light, and shutting the store up tightly, Yuugi headed home, not knowing that there was a crimson-eyed man, somewhere in the city, gasping for breath after a horrible nightmare.

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_'Ugh... Need more sleep...'_ He fought to keep his eyes open, then defeated, he lay his head down onto the cool countertop._ 'No, need to stay in store... Mmm... Coffee... Huh? Coffee?'_ Yuugi slowly lifted his head from where it was lying next to his store cash register and saw a tanned hand holding out a steaming cup of heaven. Keeping his chin on the glass counter, he raised his eyes up till he met amused crimson eyes.

"Rough night, little one?" Yami asked, trying desperately to hold back his laughter at seeing a disheveled and exhausted looking man looking like he was trying to use the hard counter as a pillow.

"Mmmm..." Yuugi said incoherently, as his delicate hands reached out for the cup of caffeine the other was holding. "I didn't leave here till three a.m. and I had to open the store today because there were some orders that were being picked up at 7 a.m. In other words I feel like hell."

Wincing in sympathy, Yami watched as Yuugi blew carefully on the hot liquid then take a sip, humming his pleasure with his eyes closed and looking like a tired, but content kitten. He chuckled, then glanced at his watch, thinking about something before smiling. "Well, do you have a couch or a cot in the backroom?" He asked.

Yuugi blinked, startled out of his inner ramblings of how amazing coffee was. "Yah, I have a couch back here. Why do you ask?"

The crimson eyed boy just grinned before grabbing the little ones hand and tugging him out of his chair. "I have the whole day free, so while you go to the back and nap for an hour or two, I'll watch the store," he said, leading the dazed and sleepy man to the back. Shushing his protests, Yami pushed Yuugi onto the couch, and watched in amusement, as the other man fell almost immediately asleep. Shaking his head in exasperation, he bent down and tugged off the others shoes, before taking off his own jacket and draping it onto the sleeping man.

Making his way out of the room, he missed Yuugi smile gently in his sleep and tug the warm leather jacket under his chin, sleepily mumbling Yami's name.

* * *

Amethyst eyes blinked open a couple of hours later, feeling unusually refreshed after his short nap. Rubbing his eyes and yawning, he blinked in confusion when he felt something soft and warm slide off his body. Picking it up carefully, he blushed lightly, when he recognized Yami's leather jacket that he had been using as a blanket. Smiling brilliantly, he quickly hugged it close before getting up and wandering into the front of his store, wondering belatedly if Yami had any trouble while he was sleeping.

Steeping into the sun-lit room, he blinked when he saw the object of his thoughts wandering the shelves, occasionally picking something up for closer scrutiny. Yuugi darlingly let his eyes wander over the trim figure gliding confidently around his store, letting his gaze wander over the ever-present leather pants hugging the long legs and up to the black muscle shirt that covered that toned body. Lingering on the gold armband that encircled Yami's bicep, he subconsciously walked up to the other man and let his fingers rest lightly on the object of his scrutiny. Letting his fingers roam the band, he noticed the delicate etchings carved into the flesh-warmed metal, and wondered if he could make something similar to sell in his shop. Totally unaware of the laughing crimson gaze that was watching him closely, he gently grabbed the arm and twisted it this way and that, mentally taking note of the craftsmanship and how it fastened to the tanned arm. When he was finished with his artistic exploration, he blinked then jerked away in embarrassment, fearfully raising his eyes to his subjects face.

Laughing out loud when Yuugi finally noticed what he was doing, Yami just winked and tugged the smaller man to the counter. "I see you're feeling better and slightly more awake," he said lightly, pushing Yuugi onto the stool placed behind the register.

Blushing madly, the amethyst eyed man just smiled shyly and started to profusely thank the taller man, until he felt a finger brush his lips, halting his stammering.

"It's no problem Yuugi. I know you're working hard to finish my project among others. But you really need to take a break once in a while," said Yami, barely concealed worry hidden behind his eyes. He quickly looked over the smaller man, before nodding. "Well, there was barely anyone in here today, other than an older woman who came into order another pair of those handcuffs you were telling me about... But I told her to come back later when you would be in the store since: one, I have no idea how to fill out those order forms; and two, I had no inclination to hear her regal me with stories or details about what she wanted," he shuddered lightly in fear before he continued, "so, now we are going to close the store for lunch, so we can get something to eat, then we can come back here if there's something else that you need to do this afternoon." Yami finished with a slight flair.

Feeling a grin tugging at his lips, Yuugi knew that Yami wouldn't take no for an answer, so just nodded and went to grab his keys and wallet.

* * *

Sitting once again at the same booth at Stardust, Yuugi couldn't help but smile widely when he heard Bakura tease Yami mercilessly about their escape a few days ago and how he still hadn't paid him back for the unfinished meal. After bantering back and forth and getting their order of burgers and fries and another strawberry milkshake, Yuugi couldn't help but watch the white-haired waiter walk away, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"What's wrong?"

Yuugi blinked, and looked up at his companion that had effectively broken him from his train of thought. "I can't help but notice that he looks almost exactly like one of my friends Ryou," he replied, his eyes unconsciously going back to Bakura who was across the room taking another order.

Yami blinked, then smiled. "You mean how we're quite similar in appearance doesn't nag at you too?" he said lightly, a small grin on his lips.

Yuugi laughed lightly and nodded, watching a waitress bring their meal to the table. "Yes. I mean, the outward appearance is uncannily similar to Ryou... But he's more quiet and studious. Definitely the opposite of Bakura if what you say about him is true." Yuugi picked up a fry and idly chewed it while he thought back to his friend. "Me and Ryou have been friends since our freshman year in Domino High, and now we go to University together, although he's taking Psychology as a major, with an English Literature minor. He's actually in Egypt right now visiting his father, but he should be back any day now..." he trailed off, looking out the window with wide eyes.

Yami blinked in confusion, before he saw his companion dart out of his chair and run outside. Watching him with slight shock in his eyes, he saw Yuugi run out the diner, and followed his progress through the window until he practically jumped onto a white-haired man outside on the sidewalk. _'Why is he hugging Bakura?!'_ Yami thought with heated jealousy in his mind, before he registered that Bakura couldn't possibly be outside since he was still working. Blinking rapidly, he saw Yuugi pull away from the stranger outside, and start talking rapidly with a wide grin on his face. Taking in the white-hair and intelligent brown eyes of Yuugi's friend, he finally noticed the brown dress pants and cream-colored polo shirt that hid the soft-looking, but definitely male body from view. _'Ahh, that must be that Ryou character that Yuugi was talking about...'_

"Holy fuck! Who is that?!" Yami suddenly heard from beside him.

* * *

Yuugi couldn't believe it. Right when he was talking about his best friend, he sees him walking along the sidewalk, apparently towards his store! Taking in the slightly tanned skin and white hair of his high school friend, he grinned excitedly and glomped him from behind.

* * *

With a startled 'oof', Ryou spun around in shock and finally saw his attacker beaming widely at him. Laughing delightedly, he quickly squeezed back before letting go and watched amusedly as Yuugi Motou acted like a five-year-old on a sugar rush, bouncing in place and excitedly asking questions with barely a breath inbetween.

* * *

Seeing his friend raise a hand in a calming gesture, Yuugi finally took a deep breath and grinned up at his friend. Throwing his arms around his friend again, he couldn't help but be excited. "Oh my god Ryou! I missed you so much! There's so much I have to tell you! How was Egypt? Have you seen Jou and the others yet? When did you get back? Oh my god, you have to meet Yami!" Yuugi paused, then his eyes widened in horror. "Yami!" he yelped, then spun around to face the diner window. Seeing his crimson eyed admirer watching him with a smirk on his lips, he blushed brightly and sheepishly waved.

* * *

Ryou snickered in amusement as he watched Yuugi once again start jabbering away before he stopped abruptly, and turned towards the diner he had obviously scampered out of. Turning his questioning gaze towards the window when he saw his friend blush, he saw a handsome man that looked shockingly like his friend smirking and waving them into diner booth he and Yuugi were occupying before. Shaking his head in amusement, he quickly grabbed the still blushing Yuugi's hand and dragged them inside, inwardly wondering who this man was, and how his friend had met him. Entering the diner while thinking, _'Stardust... Hmm, never been here before,'_ Ryou tugged his friend towards the booth before he stopped in shock. There, standing next to Yuugi's double, was... _'Holy hell, why did I not notice this man standing next to him?'_

* * *

Tbc...

* * *

**AN:** Did you like it? Gonna keep it short 'cuz I just want to upload this before I run out of ideas... The next chapters going to be tricky... Might be inviting Jou and the rest of the gang in, but first want to get the idea of Ryou and Bakura in first... Enjoy! Reviews and criticism welcome! 


	6. Pleasant Surprises

**AN:** I don't own any Yu-Gi-Oh things... But I own Ryou's last name in this fic! (Although the idea came from Bleach... I don't own anything Bleach either...) Haha. I'm changing it, because I don't want Ryou to have Bakura as his last name, while his doubles name is Bakura... Kapeesh?

* * *

**Title:** An Artisans Craft  
**Chapter:** 6 

Ch 6:_ Pleasant Surprises..._

* * *

Yuugi was oblivious to Ryou's shock, as he blushed brightly in embarrassment. Seeing those laughing crimson eyes watching his every move, he fidgeted nervously wishing feverently in his head that he didn't have such pale skin. Slipping his little form into his previous spot with an embarrassed cough, he finally noticed Ryou staring at his own double. Cocking his head in confusion, he shifted his eyes rapidly between the two as two pairs of brown eyes clashed in subtle intensity. Hearing a barely muffled snicker, Yuugi looked towards his companion just in time to see Yami elbow Bakura none too subtly. "Bakura. Bakura. BAKURA!" Yami repeated, accenting each of his words with an elbow in his motionless friends side. Finally getting his attention when harsh brown orbs drilled into his head, the teen snickered again and pointed randomly behind them. "I think your manager's calling you."

* * *

Bakura cursed loudly before darting away, stealing one last glance over his shoulder as he went. He obviously won't get any work done while that one was in the store...

* * *

Ryou blinked, then blushed brightly when he felt a pair of knowing crimson eyes and a pair of confused amethyst watch him. Shaking his head to clear the fuzziness that had overwhelmed his mind when seeing his gorgeous double, he quickly slid into the seat next to Yuugi, smiling genially to his friends companion. "Hello," Ryou said with his faint English accent, "My name is Ryou Byakuya. And you are?" He held out his hand in greeting. Yami blinked. It was like seeing Bakura smile gently. Very, very weird. "My names Atemu, but please call me Yami. It's nice to meet you too," he finally replied, shaking the outstretched hand. His crimson eyes darted quickly to Yuugi. "Yuugi was telling me a little bit about you before he dashed outside to tackle you," he chuckled.  
Yuugi blushed brightly in embarrassment, faintly wondering if he could smash his head against a wall somewhere. Deciding to ignore the little jab, he started eating his meal, grinning as Ryou stole some of his fries. Beaming brightly again, he quickly started bombarding his longtime friend with questions. 

"So, how was Egypt? Did you get to spend time with your dad? Did you see Jou or anyone yet? When did you get back?" Yuugi asked hyper actively, eating his food with great enthusiasm.

Laughing lightly at his friend while stealing another fry, Ryou calmly answered all of his friends questions, totally used to his excitable friend. "Good. Yes, a little bit. No. Today," he tapped his chin in thought. "That answers everything right?"

Yami laughed out loud, clearly amused. "Wow. That must have took some skill."

Ryou laughed too, watching out of the corner of his eye as Yuugi grinned. "Yes, well, I have to answer them all at once or _someone_," here he glanced at Yuugi, "keeps firing questions away."

Rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, Yuugi smiled then smacked his friends hand away from his food. "No! Bad Ryou. My food! Get your own!" he said teasingly.

Ryou just laughed and swiped another fry.

* * *

After spending time getting to know one another, Yami thought Ryou was very nice. Polite, but firm – a little bit like a school teacher – and very easy-going. It seemed like Yuugi and Ryou were very close... And he would have been very jealous if he didn't see the little glances Bakura and Ryou shot at each other. Snickering inwardly at the total opposite personalities of both of the white haired boys, Yami shot Yuugi an affectionate glance from time to time, just watching his little one – when had he started calling Yuugi his? - munching happily away at his food, the dark shadows of exhaustion fading away from his face. 

When they went to pay, Yami stayed Yuugi's hand that went automatically towards his wallet, just winking and paying for both their meals. Glancing at his watch and seeing that it was already past the time they should be back at the store, Yami started ushering the two jabbering friends towards Artisans, throwing a wave over his shoulder at Bakura and mouthing 'I'll get his number for you,' jerking his thumb in Ryou's direction. Seeing his friends grateful eyes and the small smirk, he just winked and hurried to catch up with the oblivious boys. _'And he didn't even notice that I failed to pay him back for the meal from the other day,'_ chuckled Yami as he mentally patted himself on the back.

* * *

As Ryou lay in bed that night, he let his thoughts wander back to the white haired man from the diner. '_Yami said his name was Bakura... I wonder if he works there often...'_ Blushing brightly at the way his thoughts wandered, he quickly turned over and buried his head into his pillow. _'No, not going there... He's probably not even gay!'_

His cellphone rang.

Jumping in surprise, then mentally wondering if it was Yuugi calling, he scrambled off his bed to answer it. Seeing the unlisted number, he frowned in confusion. _'Wait... Why would Yuugi call my cell when he could just call the house?'_ Answering the phone – which he had already categorized as unimportant – he was shocked at what he heard... And subsequently almost had a heart attack...

"Hi, Ryou? It's Bakura, Yami's friend from Stardust..."

* * *

Yuugi grinned in remembrance when he thought of his day. Coffee from Yami; a nice nap on his couch with the object of his affections jacket as a blanket; lunch with Yami and Ryou; and a day spent chatting and catching up with his friend at his shop. He quickly locked up his store, and prepared to head home. A voice from behind him made him jump. 

"Want a ride home?"

Yuugi's eyes went wide when he heard the familiar voice. Turning slowly, he saw Yami in all of his leather glory, straddling a motorcycle with two helmets in his hands. Feeling drool start to make it's way down the side of his mouth, he quickly shook himself and looked again. Yup, Yami was in his tight leather pants, leather jacket, and black muscle shirt, straddling a black and gold motorcycle with two black helmets in his hands... He must be in heaven...

Yuugi cautiously walked up to Yami – in his mind, thinking it was a lovely fantasy – and started to look confused when the crimson eyed teen was very, _very_ real. "Didn't you go home earlier? I thought you said you had something to do?"

Yami grinned, then tossed one of the black helmets at Yuugi. "I finished. Then I was on my way past when I saw you locking up. So I repeat, do you want a ride home?"

Yuugi gingerly fingered the helmet, staring at the machine. "Uhh... I've never been on a motorcycle..." he said hesitantly.

Watching the taller man grin, he was smoothly instructed to put on the helmet and jump on. Getting on behind Yami carefully, he blushed brightly when he noticed that he would have to be pressed up against the taller man's back. Watching Yami put on his helmet, he felt the motorcycle engine start to rev to life. Wrapping his arms carefully around the trim waist in front of him, his heart jolted when he felt them take off. Squeezing Yami's waist, he felt the wind cut through his jacket, the helmet protecting his smooth face from the wind. Feeling exhilarated, he started to laugh not knowing that Yami was grinning to himself.

When Yami stopped at the movie theater, Yuugi was puzzled. Wasn't he going to go home? Watching the other man get off his bike and take off his helmet, he quickly followed suit, still unsure of what was going on.

Yami smiled at Yuugi's confused face, placing both helmets on the handlebars. "WE are watching a movie," he said teasingly, grabbing the shocked teens hand and dragging him towards the ticket counter. "I know you've been working too much, so I thought some relaxation was in order... And there's a really good movie on tonight."

Still pulling the unresisting man after him, Yami quickly bought two tickets then proceeded to drag Yuugi after him again. When the amethyst eyed man regained some conscious though, he was sitting in the movie theater with a large bag of popcorn and some chocolates in his hand, while Yami had a large drink and some other candy in his. Seeing the lights start to dim in the crowded theater, he smiled brightly and leaned over to his companion. "Thanks. I think I really needed this." His amethyst eyes smiled up into crimson. Hearing the ads start to play, he shot a look at the screen, then the man next to him in confusion. "What are we watching?"

Yami grinned, then replied, "Night Watch."

Yuugi couldn't help but squeal in excitement. It was a new action movie that he had been dying to see since it came out in theaters a week ago. Chewing on some popcorn, Yuugi stared at the screen as the movie started...

* * *

_Tbc...  
_

* * *

**AN:** Like it? I wrote this in like... 30 mins. Haha. I had a chapter written previously, but I hated it. Decided to scrap it and write this one. How is it? 


	7. Conversations and Familiarity

**AN:** I say it again... I don't own anything that has to do with Yu-Gi-Oh, and Bleach owns Ryou's last name... Other than that, the plot is mine!!

* * *

**Title:** An Artisans Craft  
**Chapter: **7

_Ch 7: Conversations and Familiarity..._

* * *

Yuugi knew he wouldn't get any sleep that night. His day had been absolutely perfect. The movie he watched with Yami turned out to be very good - although a little corny – but was very fun overall. When Yami had dropped him off at his house, he had gotten another kiss on the hand... Which reminded of him of their first meeting at his store.

Grinning with a slight blush on his cheeks, Yuugi squealed in glee then snatched up his phone. '_I HAVE to call Ryou!'_

* * *

Ryou Byakuya smiled. He just finished a very nice phone conversation with Bakura. They had surprising had a lot in common: both their mothers either gone or deceased, their fathers working so much and not at home often, no siblings, etc. They had laughed a lot during their 2 hour conversation, talking about their past, present, and of course their friends. When Ryou had heard that Bakura got his number from Yami, he didn't know if he should curse the object of his best friends affections, or kiss him. After that phone call, he would definitely kiss him... If Yuugi wouldn't kill him first.

'_I have to talk to Yuugi,'_ thought Ryou excitedly... Then his phone rang.

* * *

"_Hello?"_

Yuugi grinned widely into the phone when he heard his friend's English accent. He squealed into the phone again, no doubt bursting his friends eardrums and started bouncing around his room.

He could hear Ryou laughing hysterically in the background. Yuugi knew that Ryou would know who it was. Only _he_ would squeal like a 10-year-old on a sugar high. Immediately he started telling his friend about the impromptu movie date he had with his crush... And he way they got there. Not even stopping for a breath or a chance for Ryou to interject some comments, Yuugi just blurted it all out, knowing that his friend would understand his jibberish. Still bouncing around his room, he twirled excitedly in a circle.

* * *

Ryou laughed helplessly as Yuugi told him about his date. He was impressed. Their doubles sure moved fast. Listening to his friends voice on the phone, he couldn't help but chuckle then check the time. If Yuugi talked for a few more minutes he would break his own record of longest sentence in a conversation...

_THUMP._

Ryou jumped when he heard the crash on the other end. "Yuugi?! Are you alright?" he asked worriedly.

"_Uhh, yah. I was spinning around when I slipped and fell. It's all good!" _Yuugi answered.

His stomach hurt from laughing so hard. Ryou had missed his best friend. There was endless entertainment value. Wiping tears of mirth from his eyes he finally had a chance to slip in his own comment.

"I have a date tomorrow."

* * *

Yuugi stopped, shocked out of his rambling. Did he hear Ryou right? A date? ... A DATE?!

"What?! With who?! When?! Where?! What?!"

He heard Ryou giggle on the other end before he answered. _"You remember Yami's friend from Stardust? Bakura? He called me earlier and we talked... For god knows how long! Then he asked me out... It's his day off tomorrow..."_

Yuugi blinked. Then blinked again. Suddenly his lips stretched into a huge smile. "Oh my gosh! Congratulations! I can't believe it! What are you guys going to do?! Oh, I'm so happy for you!"

* * *

Ryou smiled shyly. Thinking about it was all well and good, but when he talked about what was going on tomorrow... His heart started thumping in his chest and he could feel his face start to heat up. Throwing himself back onto his bed, he sighed in total happiness. Yes, it was good to be home.

* * *

The golden pyramid gleamed in the sunlight, throwing off the light from its surface like a prism. The Eye of Ra etched on the one side was bold and perfect, just giving it enough detail to stand out, but not too much to look gaudy. The thick heavy gold chain lay next to it, coiled carefully and ready to thread through the loop at the top when it was complete.

Yuugi smiled in satisfaction at his new masterpiece. Grabbing a cloth, he started to carefully polish the piece, making sure there were no rough or uneven edges. It was quite heavy - being a solid piece of material - but not overly so. Looking at the thing in the sunlight made Yuugi feel strange... Like it was familiar... He scoffed. Of course it was familiar, he had designed it from the drawing Yami had made... But... Somehow... Not in that way... Like he had seen it so long ago...

The bell above the door ringing from the storefront tore his mind away from the necklace, shaking his thoughts. Putting down the piece carefully, he trotted out of his workroom to help the customer. There was time to think about that kind of stuff later.

But it was still nagging him...

* * *

Yami was bored. He almost wished it wasn't summer, so he had some kind of school work to do. Yawning loudly, he blearily looked around his apartment, seeing if there was any dust bunnies to conquer. His room consisted of one small kitchen that had an open style into the living room. In the corner of the room there was a flight of stairs leading up into a loft bedroom with his king sized bed, a nightstand, and his desk. But his favorite part of the house was his balcony. One wall was taken up by huge floor to ceiling windows which had a small balcony that overlooked the city from the 20th floor. That was where he did most of his art. There was an easel and a table full of paints, paint brushes, pencils, charcoal, erasers... Anything an artist would want. The rest of his room was an open space for his living room, which had 2 leather couches, a few lamps, a glass coffee table, and a big flat screen TV that was mounted onto the brick wall.

Seeing nothing to clean or put away, Yami sighed and flopped sideways onto the couch he was sitting on. Glancing at the clock on the wall and noting that it was only 10am, he let his mind wander, subconsciously hoping he would start thinking of something really boring so he could fall asleep again.

A breeze fluttered through the open balcony doors and ruffled something on the coffee table. Crimson eyes shifted to see what it was. Then he bolted upright, looked at the time again, and started grinning. He just thought of something he could do... Grabbing the object on the table, he rushed over to his art table and grabbed a box of supplies. Then stuffing it all into a backpack, he ran out the door, mentally patting himself on the back for beating his boredom.

* * *

Slumping over the counter top, Yuugi banged his head... Hard. He really, really, really didn't want to make this order. He eyed the order form. No, scratch that. He really, really, really didn't want to even _hear_ about this order. He quickly ran through the stuff in his bathroom and wished feverently that there was something there that could just _scrub_ that image from his head. He shuddered. _'Ew.'_

Hearing the bell above his door ring, Yuugi stared with trepidation at the form again, automatically welcoming the customer to Artisans. Hearing a small chuckle and a welcome voice, Yuugi looked up with a brilliant smile, thanking Ra that someone would help him forget about his woes.

"Yami!"

Yami grinned, watching the amethyst eyes light up with happiness, wondering what his little one was so unhappy about. Sauntering up to the table, he leaned one elbow on it, quirking his eyebrow.

"What's got you so down?" he asked.

Yuugi blanched, then shuddered again. "Ugh, Yami! I just got the mental image out of my head! And now you put it back!" he pouted, then made a disgusted face. He passed the order form to Yami and started explaining at the questioning look he received. "Read this."

Yami skimmed his crimson eyes over the form, seeing it was a request for a silver collar with emerald inlays and velvet lining. Wait. Where had he heard that before... He paled, looking up at Yuugi quickly. "Don't tell me..." Yami whimpered.

The amethyst eyed man grinned evilly. "It's an order form for a collar... For a person." Seeing Yami start to shake his head in denial, Yuugi's grin widened. "Yup. She wants it to be matching with her handcuffs..."

"_Ugh!"_ Yami screamed, covering his ears and starting to run for the door. "_I SO did NOT want to hear that!!!"_

Yuugi tackled him down, laughing evilly. "If I have to suffer, so do you!"

* * *

After catching their breath, Yami picked himself up off the floor and pulled the little one to his feet. "It's a miracle that we didn't crash into anything and break it," he said idly, looking around for his stuff.

Yuugi giggled, brushing himself off and watching Yami grab his bag and walk over to the counter. Hurrying after him – and shoving that evil, evil form into a random drawer – he watched curiously as Yami took out a plastic box and a black leather book. Cocking his head in confusion, his amethyst eyes looked up at Yami and waited for an explanation.

"I was sitting at home, bored out of my mind, and I remembered that you had never seen my own art pieces," explained Yami. Seeing Yuugi's excitement, he chuckled then held up his hand in a 'wait' motion. "_But_," he said, "I have one rule before I let people see my sketch book."

"Whatwhatwhatwhatwhat?" bounced Yuugi. He was excited! He got to see his crushes work! The only other time he had seen anything of Yami's was the drawing he had of the puzzle.

"You have to let me draw you first."

That stopped Yuugi in his tracks. He looked wide-eyed at Yami's gentle smile and started blushing furiously. "What?! Why would you want to draw me?!" he squeaked.

A deep chuckle rang through the shop. Yami shook his head fondly and daringly let his hand run through Yuugi's soft hair. "And why wouldn't I want to draw you?" he shot back.

Yuugi swore he could feel himself melt into a puddle of goo.

Damn Yami and his persuasiveness...

* * *

_Tbc.._**.  
**

* * *

**AN:** Next chapter is going to be all fluffiness! Haha! Did you like this one? 


	8. Sketches and Dreams

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything that has to do with _Yu-Gi-Oh_ or its characters. Ryou's last name is owned by Bleach, but everything else is mine!

**AN: **Just some editing of this chapter. Some reviews were amazing at pointing out flaws in my writing and were kind enough to correct me. Thank you so much!

* * *

**Title:** An Artisans Craft  
**Chapter:**8 

_Ch 8: Sketches and Dreams_

* * *

Crimson eyes twinkled with amusement as the younger man in front of him fidgeted in his chair. Shifting in his own seat, he adjusted his grip on his pencil and got a better grasp on his leather sketchbook. "Stop moving," he ordered softly. 

These words seemed to penetrate Yuugi's mind and he automatically straightened his shoulders and froze – whether it was in shock or embarrassment, no one was sure. Hearing a wicked sounding chuckle, he blushed a becoming shade of red before burying his face in his hands.

"Yami! Why do I have to do this again?" he whined plaintively.

Seeing the pout on the amethyst eyed mans lips, Yami grinned wolfishly before busying himself with his book – pretending not to hear Yuugi's pleas.

Catching the wicked grin, the shorter man grimaced and blushed even harder. "Yami!"

Still ignoring the little one, Yami quickly sketched in as many facial features as possible: his beautiful big eyes; pouty lips; the tiny frown that marred his otherwise smooth forehead; his silky hair... 'The perfect muse,' he thought fondly. 'I'll need all the paper in the world to catch every little bit of this angel.' Inwardly shaking away his wandering thoughts, he tilted his head and contemplated his drawings. He had only drawn rough outlines of many sides of Yuugi; smiling, pouting, scowling, etc. Flipping to a new page, Yami tilted his head as he studied his subject anew. Tossing his pencil back into the case, he plucked out a piece of charcoal, readying himself for some serious sketching.

Yuugi huffed in irritation, knowing that the crimson eyed man was purposely ignoring him, and busied himself with some paperwork. Sitting behind the glass counter top he propped his head in his hand as he read over a new order form. Tapping his chin thoughtfully, he put it in the 'Start-Next-Month' pile, before grabbing another to peruse. Letting the comfortable silence calm him, he studiously ignored the feeling of being watched and relaxed. Humming lightly to himself, he worked calmly over the forms and other bills.

Letting his eyes flit between Yuugi and his sketchbook, Yami smiled in adoration as his angel relaxed. Smudging a bit of charcoal by accident, he huffed. There was a streak of black right in the middle of Yuugi's forehead, like a headband. 'Damnit!' the crimson-eyes man cursed, then paused. 'Wait...' He stopped hearing everything around him as his world focused on the drawing. There was something familiar about it... Unconsciously, Yami's hand rose and put the charcoal to paper. Sketching with bold strokes the picture under him changed gradually from Yuugi sitting innocently at his counter, to... Something else...

Beautiful eyes...

_'...nesu-i...'_

Soft lips...

_'...meru-i...'_

A glimmering gold diadem...

_'...sedjem wi...'_

A gold cuff in his right ear...

_'...nesu...'_

Wild hair...

_'...netjer khered...'_

A gauzy white tunic...

_'...meru...'_

A silver moon...

"Yami!"

Snapping his head up, Yami grimaced and flinched in pain. He had definitely pulled a muscle in his neck whipping his head up like that. Ruefully rubbing at the soreness, he glanced up with curiosity at Yuugi. "Huh?"

The amethyst-eyed man sighed. "I kept calling you. Are you hungry? It's already 2 pm."

"What?!" the taller man yelped. He took a quick look at his watch and frowned. He had been sketching for a good 2 hours. Where had the time gone? Voicing his hunger to his companion, he placed the charcoal piece back into it's box and glanced at his drawing, ready to pack up. What he saw made him blink. Gone was the softly smiling face of Yuugi Mutou sitting at his counter in Artisans. Instead, he had unconsciously drawn a desert dune blowing sand into the night sky with a beautiful wild haired man staring at a crescent moon. His white linen tunic blew in an imaginary breeze, while his bright smile rivaled the moon in brilliance. A delicate looking diadem rested on his forehead, while his feet were covered in simple straw sandals.

_'...nesu-i...'_

Yami shook his head. What was that? Did he head a voice just now? He rubbed his eyes and looked at the picture again. He _drew_ that? Hearing a muffled chuckle, he looked up and met Yuugi's eyes.

"You have charcoal on your cheeks now Yami," the smaller man said affectionately. Cocking his head to the side, he stepped forward to look at the drawing. "Wow..." he whispered reverently. Reaching forward with cautious fingers, he stroked the sketch of the sand dune blowing sand into the sky. "That's beautiful Yami," Yuugi said, then blushed. "But why Egypt? And from the looks of the clothing, Ancient Egypt?"

Chuckling ruefully, Yami rubbed his blackened hands together nervously. "I have no idea myself. It just turned out like this." Heading towards the bathroom in the back room, the taller man addressed Yuugi over his shoulder. "Let's get some food. I'll just go wash my hands."

Humming in agreement, Yuugi's eyes never left the drawing. He was puzzled. This scene seemed really familiar. Like the puzzle that Yami wanted him to make. Shrugging, he noticed his blackened finger and chuckled to himself. Taking one more look at the drawing, he also headed to the bathroom to wash his hands. He felt like eating a burger.

* * *

Yuugi stretched his arms up into the air and sighed gustily. He was sitting at his work table in the back room making measurements and sketches of Yami's pendant. He had the style, shape, and design down in real form. Now he had to make it into a puzzle. This was the hardest part, as all the pieces had to be a perfect fit, but not fall apart or be loose. It also had to be stable enough to be able to wear as a necklace for long periods of time. Rolling his neck to relieve the stiffness, he saw a flash of red at the corner of his eye. 

Glancing over, he smiled. Yami was sitting there in all his leather and sexy glory, still sketching in his book. They had come back to the store after lunch and moved to the back room so Yuugi could work on his pieces. Yami was nice enough – and bored enough apparently – to stay and greet the customers and help them while Yuugi worked. Now the store was closed for the day and it was almost time for dinner.

Nibbling on his lower lip, the taller man looked extremely handsome, stretched out on his couch; long legs crossed comfortably; confident hands holding the sketchbook still and a pencil firmly; and crimson eyes staring intently at his drawing. Shaking his head, Yuugi turned back to his own art. Picking up the gold pyramid, he turned it this way and that, mentally making adjustments and ideas. Picking up his pencil and a calculator, he buckled down and started working. 'This has to be perfect,' he thought to himself. After all, it was his crushes order.

* * *

_He could feel a cool breeze brushing his cheeks and lifting sand into the air. The air smelled like jasmine and papyrus reeds as the wind carried the scents from the small town behind him. The bright moon glowed down at him, and he smiled. The gods were blessing the ritual this night. Perfect._

_'...metjen Thoth... Wi iAs-tjen...'_

_The moon shone down at him with her white light._

_'...metjen-en nefrew-ek, meru-ek...'_

_The moonlight seemed almost warm._

_'...redi pen Hem-Netjer iretey-ek er hab ka-i en nesu-i...'_

_He could only see her beauty, her light, and her presence in the night sky._

_'...em a-nen en pen hesi, wi henek ka-i pen dje-ep...'_

_His body felt miles away, as his mind reached out towards the sky._

_'...Hesi__Djehuty... seshay-i...'_

_There was a bright flash, as the sky seemed to explode. Then... A different voice – deeper, masculine, and confident – sounded in his ears._

_'Hem-Netjer-i. Wi sedjem-ek. Shemi.'_

_He smiled. '...per-a'a-i...'_

"...per-a'a-i..." he mumbled. Amethyst eyes cracked open and blinked sleepily. His surroundings were still blurry. Was he still at the store? Yuugi sat up and rubbed his eyes. He was at home at least. There were times when he woke up still clutching a pencil at his worktable at Artisans. Shaking his head, he looked at the time. It was already 10 am. Yawning, he tried to remember what woke him up. Shrugging, he tried to remember how he got home. He had been working as usual on Yami's piece... Yami was sketching... They had gotten too into their work and it became extremely late into the night... He was feeling really sleepy, but didn't want to stop working because he was in the middle of a calculation... Yami had gently stopped him when his head started drooping and picked him up... Yuugi blushed brightly. Now he remembered. He was so tired that Yami had carried him home from the store and passed him off to his grandpa once they got to the game shop. Smacking his forehead, Yuugi sighed and started getting ready for the day. Although it was Sunday and the store was closed, might as well continue working on the puzzle.

Once he was showered and dressed, the 18 year old stepped into the kitchen. It was surprisingly empty. His grandpa liked to take Sundays off too and relax at the table with his tea and a book till noon. Cocking his head in confusion, Yuugi noticed a note written on their white board. Stepping over to it, he read the neat handwriting of his grandpa.

'_Yuugi, I hope you got enough sleep last night. It seemed as if your new boyfriend was courteous enough to 'walk' you home last night instead of leaving you on your work table.'_

Yuugi blushed. Damnit. His grandpa will never let him live it down.

_'Yami was a very nice man. I heartily approve.'_

This time he smiled. 'Yes!'

_'I am off to visit Arthur. He wants me to help him with a dig in Egypt again. I'll be gone for at least 2 weeks. I'll have my cell phone, but you know the drill by now. Take care. Love Grandpa.'_

Yuugi sighed. Alone for 2 weeks. That wasn't too bad. Now if the dig didn't go on for too long, it would be good. Then his grandpa would actually be _back_ in that time. If not, then he could be gone for a month or more. He rubbed his hair and sighed again. Oh well. Breakfast, then hard thinking. He was still too sleepy to think.

* * *

Tbc...

* * *

**AN:** Here is the long awaited chapter! Sorry it took so freaking long. I wasn't sure how some of these scenes were going to go... It was also hard to look up these words. If no one noticed (And I would be surprised if you knew what they said), the gibberish that was used in 2 of the scenes was Ancient Egyptian. I got this link from Ocean! It's great! Below are the translations for all the words I used.

**AN2:** Okay, I've fixed all of the Ancient Egyptian words since the last time I updated this (which was yesterday... _sweatdrop_) They are now translated from the Egyptian transliterations to English pronunciations using an awesome site, which I will put up on my bio. Thanks to lucidscreamer for all of their help! Couldn't do it without them!

Please review!

Sketch:

nesu-i – my king

meru-i – my love

sedjem wi – hear me

nesu - king

netjer khered – gods child

meru - love

Dream:

metjen Thoth – behold God of Magic and Wisdom

Wi iAs-tjen – I call you

metjen-en nefrew-ek – we behold your beauty

meru-ek – your love

redi pen Hem-Netjer iretey-ek er hab ka-i en nesu-i – give this priest your eyes to send my spirit to my king

em a'nen en pen hesi – in return for this praise

wi henek ka-i en pen dje-ep – I offer my spirit to this eternal sky

hesi Djehuty – praise the God of the Moon

seshay-i– I pray

Hem-Netjer-i – my priest

wi sedjem-ek – I hear you

Shemi - report

per-a'a-i – my pharoah


	9. NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

**JUST SOME NOTES**

Now, the Ancient Egyptian that I used in chapter 8: _Sketches and Dreams_, are not completely correct. I'm not an Egyptologist, not do I speak fluent Ancient Egyptian... Although that would be really cool. I'm just fascinated by it, and I thought it would spice up the story a little. Since I have had a TON of reviews about the new chapter (which I am immensely thankful for), I decided it was time to answer some of the questions and also explain some problems I've had, or might have, if I continue to use this language.

If you're not interested, obviously you don't have to read this. But you might find it interesting.

I originally used a site that was found by the authoress Ocean, http:// hieroglyphs. Net/ 000501/ html/ 000-016. html (just take out the spaces.) But then I had a few corrections by a reviewer about the grammar (pronouns, suffix's, etc.) Then I looked up the other site that Ocean had, http:// www. Imt. net/jimloy/ egypt/egypt. Htm (again, just take out the spaces.) Here, it had the proper uses of personal pronouns, suffix's, etc. But it was still pretty confusing. Now I've had the help of lucidscreamer, who was amazing at helping me with everything.

Ie: When writing 'my king', instead of using '_i nsw_' which is literally 'my' and 'king', it would be '_nesu-i_' or '_nsw-i_' as it is possessive.

This is just some of the problems I've run into. Since Ancient Egyptian is obviously a dead language, I've been having some thoughts of what I should do. I either have a choice of just translating it directly and ignoring Ancient Egyptian grammar, or doing it properly, which might take some time. I also was told I should translate all the words to make it easier to pronounce, but there is the problem of finding a correct form to translate the transliteration symbols into the English equivolent so the words would be correct. I'm trying to figure out that now, so there may be some more changes to the Egyptian words in Ch. 8.

Also, there was some changes in the 'dream' part of the sequence, for the part of the gods. Since Egyptian mythology is so damn convoluted, I've had to do some research to clear up my own – and other reviewers – confusion. I have fixed it, but I decided to clear up some matters here.

Thoth_used_ to be the moon god. A lot of people have associated him with the moon, and his other Egyptian name was 'Djehuty'. But according to wikipedia. org (I love this site), he actually became associated with the moon's other aspects of wisdom, magic, peace-making, and the measurement, and regulation, of events and of time. He was also called the God of the Scribe and was associated with the Greek god Hermes. He was called the Secretary and Counselor of Ra and stood by him with Ma'at, the Goddess of Truth, Justice, and Order.

Since the dream sequence speaker was using magic (if you read the translations, you can kinda tell), I changed the beginning from, "Behold God of the Moon," to "Behold God of Magic and Wisdom."

The real God of the the Moon is Chrons.

Also, when I wrote "Praise God of the Moon" ('_Hsi Amun-De_') I was also wrong. Amun-De is not found ANYWHERE, so wherever I looked it up, or whatever, was wrong. I will be changing it to '_Hsi Djehuty_' to actually mean, "Praise the God of the Moon."

I don't know what other gods I will add to this story, as it might make it all the more confusing. The ones with the most prominence is probably going to be Thoth,Ra,Horus,Anubis, and Ma'at.

There was also a reference to 'The Eye of Horus' in chapter 1, when Yuugi explains to Yami about the eye on his pyramid.

"_The Eye of Horus was the Egyptian sign for the great Pharaoh's. It was said to hold great power and help the rulers in their rebirth. Horus was the Egyptian Sky God, or the son of the Sun God, Ra. The way your drawing of the eye is facing, this one is the right eye of Horus, or the Eye of Ra. If you turn it the other way around, it would be the left eye of Horus, or the Eye of Thoth, the Moon God. Get it?" _

This is still correct. Horus is the Egyptian God of the Sky. It was said that his eyes represented the Sun and the Moon, and when they traversed the sky, he as a falcon, was flying. Although Thoth isn't the God of the Moon, in reference to the Eye of Horus, it is still called The Eye of Thoth (when it is facing left.) Horus also had the name, God of Two Horizons.

Because the Eye of Horus is so special to Pharaoh's, there will be more emphasis on this God in later chapters.

Since I don't want to bore you to death any longer, I will give a quick explanation about the other gods and leave it at that.

Ma'at: Goddess of Truth, Justice, and Order.

Anubis: Guardian of the Dead, and guide to the recently departed. He would weigh the deceased heart on a set of scales, against the feather symbol of Ma'at, to judge the dead and see if they were worthy of the afterlife.


	10. Childhood Memories

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything that has to do with _Yu-Gi-Oh_ or its characters. Ryou Byakuya's last name is owned by Bleach, but everything else is mine!

* * *

**Title:** An Artisans Craft  
**Chapter:**9

_Ch 9: Childhood Memories_

* * *

As Yuugi slowly shuffled down the street, he thought about the weird sensation he felt when he was waking up. It was a feeling of familiarity, longing, excitement, and... He blushed. He was _sure_he woke up thinking of Yami – or more specifically – Yami's voice. He sighed dreamily, his mind wandering to his crush, when he crashed into something. Hard.

Yelping in shock, he fell to the ground with a thump, wincing in pain and rubbing his abused back. That's what he gets for not paying attention to his surroundings. Amethyst eyes widened in shock when he heard a familiar chuckle. His eyes first landed on a pair of black Doc Martens that were partially covered by black leather trousers. As they traveled up, they skimmed over the form-fitting pants up to a dark sapphire blue, short-sleeved silk shirt that covered a muscled torso, a partially exposed collarbone fitted with a leather chocker, a chiseled jaw, a sensuous mouth, and locked onto laughing crimson eyes. Eeping in embarrassment, Yuugi lowered his eyes to the ground and feverently wished the ground would swallow him up whole.

"Are you alright Yuugi?" a smooth baritone voice asked courteously. "I would lend you a hand, but they're kinda full at the moment."

Nodding his head, Yuugi climbed up off the ground and took another look at his crush. He noticed this time that Yami was holding the same backpack from yesterday, a plastic grocery bag, and two styrofoam cups in each hand. Cocking his head in confusion, he looked at Yami, looked at the cups, and then looked around the street.

"What are you doing in this neighborhood?" the younger man asked. "And with all of that stuff?"

The taller man grinned. "Well, I woke up disgustingly early this morning," here he made a face and grumbled about the good-old-days of sleeping in til past noon, "then I stopped by the store to see if you were there and noticed that you weren't. I wanted to check up on you after last night," he added, smirking in amusement at the renewed blush on the other mans cheeks. "Thinking – and hoping - that you were still at home getting some well-deserved rest, I picked up some food," he lifted the grocery bag slightly, "and some coffee," nodding towards his cup-filled hands. Seeing the thankful look on the little ones face, Yami smiled and handed one of the cups to Yuugi. "I'm guessing by that look you either haven't had breakfast _or _coffee yet."

Humming a sound of agreement, Yuugi contently breathed in the smell of freshly brewed bean. "My grandpa drank all the coffee this morning_and _ate the last of the bread in the house before he left for Egypt this morning," he grumbled, wondering mentally if he should thank his guardian for his unconscious actions now that Yami was here with apparently both.

"Egypt?" Yami asked questioningly as he gestured for the little one to start walking back towards the Game Shop.

Nodding his head, and turning around, Yuugi started explaining about his retired archaeologist father-figure that frequently helped out his old partner with digs. "He goes back to Egypt around twice or three times a year whenever his old colleges want some help from a veteran like him," here he paused to dig out his keys and let Yami in. "I've personally never been myself, but he loves it there and can't get out of the work even when he's retired. He usually ends up going for a couple of weeks to a month before he comes home."

Making a sound of understanding, Yami let his eyes wander around the store they entered. Seeing the orderly array of old and new toys and games, he smiled softly, imaging growing up in a comforting place like this. Following the other man through the store to the back and up some stairs, he also saw some pictures of a happy home life. Coming to a stop in front of a particular photo, he studied it carefully, not noticing Yuugi look back and stop too. Recognizing the elderly man from last night, he grinned when he saw how happy and content he looked even when sweating and covered in sand and dust. The scene was obviously in the middle of a dig, with Yuugi's grandfather leaning on a rock with a bottle of water in one hand and some kind of blueprints in the other. A pyramid rose majestically behind him in the fading daylight, and Yami could see a chipped statue of a Sphinx lying regally in the background.

"That's a picture of Grandpa in Giza outside of Khafre's pyramid," said an amused voice next to him. Turning his head, he saw amethyst eyes looking at the picture with a sort of amused resignation reflected on his face. "Unless you want to know about every square inch of the place, with detailed stories about all the traps and hieroglyphics, I wouldn't mention it to my Grandpa," Yuugi said, shaking his head in false concern. Yami just smiled, and looked back at the happily smiling man in the photo.

"It must be nice to have a person like him in your family," the crimson eyed man said softly. "He was so nice when I met him last night, just smiling without a care in the world, totally trusting me, even though he's never met me. He couldn't stop laughing when I told him how you fell asleep and joked about how I should have left you at the worktable to 'teach him not to work so late again,' and even offered to drive me home since it was so late at night. When I declined, he offered me money to grab a cab and invited me in to have coffee."

Yuugi grimaced and was about to apologize about his well-meaning but sometimes overly concerned family member, when he saw the look on Yami's face. It was slightly nostalgic and sad, but gentle and happy at the same time. He was confused until it dawned on him. "You don't have a family anymore?" he asked softly.

The older man turned from the picture and looked at Yuugi. "None that I remember," he answered back, shooing the smaller man forwards again. When they reached the kitchen, Yami put down his bags on the table and started rifling through them. Pulling out a box of danishes, a container of fruit salad, and some plastic forks and napkins, he gestured for Yuugi to start eating and sat down across from him. "My parents died when I was still a child. They were quite wealthy, but since their parents had died already and they were both without siblings, I grew up in an orphanage until I was around 15. That's when my family inheritance kicked in. Since I was mature for my age – and with the help of one of my family lawyers – I was able to get a early emancipation since I was self-sufficient. I moved out into the apartment I live now and continued high school, then was able to get a scholarship at the University of Domino," here he paused to take a sip of his coffee.

Munching on a strawberry danish, he looked over at Yuugi's sad face, "Of course, I had a lot of people supporting me. When I met Bakura in high school we used to crash at my place a lot since his father is away all the time for business, and the dean at the orphanage still calls once a week to make sure I'm taking care of myself," here he chuckled, "His daughter, Isis, is like an older sister to me and always pops her head in once a week to make sure I'm not surviving on coffee alone, and her brother Malik is always wanting me to get her off his back and take refuge in my apartment. Their family kind of took care of me and I sort of think of them as my cousins."

Yuugi giggled. Thinking to return the favor, he told Yami about his deceased parents, and how his grandpa raised him in this very house since he was a baby. Having no other family, the elderly man had been all too happy to have the infant to raise when his son and daughter-in-law had died in a plane crash, having left Yuugi with his grandfather until they were home. With the spritely, game-loving, and adventurous grandpa as a father-figure, Yuugi had grown up to love Egypt and all kinds of games. He confessed to Yami about how he grew up listening to stories of excavations and Ancient Egyptian myths as bedtime stories.

Enjoying the food and the nice company, they traded funny and sometimes embarrassing stories of their childhood, laughing over Yuugi's descriptions of his goofy friend Jou's foray into the world of cafeteria food, and Yami's humorous stories of how he met Bakura trying to steal the school flag and thus living up to his last name, Kaitou. The amethyst eyed man reluctantly told the older man about his embarrassing first date with his childhood crush, Anzu, where he tried to take her to lunch but had forgotten his wallet and fell into the pond when they went to the park. Luckily she had laughed it off and it had become an inside joke every time they went out lunch together. Yami told Yuugi about his most embarrassing date, where he had accidentally taken a girl to the same restaurant a guy that kept trying to hook up with him worked as a waiter. Nevertheless, he had ended up with his soup dumped in his lap by the overly obsessed guy, and his date furiously thinking that he was two-timing her. He had never gone back to the restaurant ever since.

Sharing stories, hopes, and dreams, Yuugi learned that Yami was hoping to sell some of his art and photo's, but was unsure of what he wanted to ultimately do in life. He said that there was so much stuff to see and experience that he couldn't decide on one field of study, and although he had enough money to live comfortably, he wanted to do something meaningful.

Yuugi told him about how he was called a prodigy at metalwork by his grandpa's friend and his apprenticeship with the old craftsman when he was in high school. When his mentor had retired, he had given Yuugi the shop, in exchange for making his family anything they wanted at a special discount. He confided to the other man that although he had enough money to live away from his grandpa, couldn't make himself to leave the elderly man even though he had apparently tried to convince his grandson to do so. Smiling to himself, Yuugi told Yami about the day he had opened the shop with himself as the manager and part-owner, sharing the responsibility with his grandpa till he was old enough to manage it on his own. With great enthusiasm, he talked about his first sale and frequent repeat customers, and when the store made its first big appearance in the world with the help of Seto Kaiba, old time rival and friend, who was the teenage CEO of Kaiba Corp.

They had worked together when Seto had ordered the design of a hand-crafted Duel Monsters trophy. It was for the winner of a children's Duel Monsters championship, that was held in America for the opening of Kaiba Land. It was so well crafted, that newspapers all over the continent had exclaimed over the costly item that was designed as a one of a kind Blue Eyes White Dragon being rode by a small figure holding a Duel Monster card. After that, there had been orders from all over the world asking for their own hand-crafted original trophies, plaques, and medals. Once it was made known that Yuugi specialized in all kinda of metal work, including jewelery, he was undulated with requests for wedding bands and keepsakes. Even now, he was buried in daily mail order requests that he had to go through and usually had to decline because of his work load. The amethyst eyed man told his attentively listening companion about how he couldn't turn down certain requests, be they regular customers – like the older woman who came in to request unusual custom made pieces – to requests for children's things, like baby rattles and small keepsakes. The ones that he never turned down were from hospitals and charities, whether they wanted specially made plaques, to small gifts for the terminally ill patients during Christmas time.

Yami stopped him with a question. "Small gifts for the terminally ill?"

Yuugi smiled. "During Christmas, the Domino Hospital holds a special program that receives donated gifts to give the children in the terminally ill ward. When I was still apprenticing to Mr. Shishou, I used to help him make little necklaces, bracelets, hair clips, and picture frames to donate to the ward. When the children received them, they were so overjoyed that their parents wanted to pay us somehow for them," he laughed indulgently. "We of course declined, but when I continued the tradition every Christmas with the help of my friends who made cards or wrapped the gifts, the children started sending cards back as a thank you. When Seto heard of it he made a donation to my shop, since by then, he was one of the main benefactors at the hospital. When I complained, he told me to shut up and use the money towards making more things for other charities," Yuugi grinned when Yami laughed. "Since then I've made a stockpile of little items that I work on all year and send out every Christmas to the local hospitals and orphanages."

The other man grinned. "That's amazing. I would love to help out this year. Maybe I can put some of my pictures in the frames, or help with the deliveries." He paused in thought. "That's really amazing," he repeated.

Yuugi smiled. "It's really fulfilling when we take the gifts personally to all the children. They're so overjoyed, and there are some kids there that have been getting our presents for years. You should see how well they take care of them. There's one little girl that's been there since I was an apprentice, and she doesn't let any of my friends deliver her gift. It always has to be from me. Every year, she shows me all the little items I've made her and they look brand new because she polishes them everyday. Then she gives me this cute little card that she made herself and gives me this big hug. Every year for the last 5 years," he said. His smile dimmed a bit. When Yami gave him a questioning look, Yuugi sighed sadly. "I've started visiting her every couple of weeks since last Christmas. I heard that she has cancer and her body started rejecting the treatment last year. Since then, I try to go visit her since she's such a sweet girl, but I don't know if she'll last till December."

Seeing his little one so distressed, Yami walked around the table and sat next to him. Gathering him up in his arms, he started to rock Yuugi slowly, almost feeling his sadness as a physical ache. "She sounds like an amazing little girl. Would you like to go visit her today? I would love to meet her."

When he saw the bright smile overcoming the tears in Yuugi's eyes, Yami knew he made the right decision when he walked into Artisans all those weeks ago. Brushing the tears away from those beautiful amethyst eyes, he smiled back as his heart swelled. Gently kissing Yuugi's forehead, he reluctantly let go of the other man and started cleaning up.

They had a little girl to meet.

* * *

Tbc...

* * *

**AN:** Another chapter! Woohoo! This one was more of a filler than anything, since I explained about both of their pasts. I'll get into more detail about their friends soon. They'll be making an appearance in a few more chapters. I didn't put in the story of the little girl for a chance to get YxYY fluff... Although it was a good idea in hindsight. She will play a kind of important role coming up.

Also, if no one knows, Bakura's last name, Kaitou, means thief – or more like a title for a thief - in Japanese. In the actual anime, they use Touzoku, which is more like a pillager/thief kind of person. I didn't like that as his last name, so I chose the more 'honorable' name for thief.

Yuugi's Master, Mr. Shishou, is actual Japanese too. The apprentice would call their Master/Mentor/Teacher their shishou. Other people would call them sensei, or teacher, but by their apprentice, they are called shishou.

The scene with Yuugi's Grandpa, is actually a real site. Khafre's pyramid in Giza actually has a Sphinx outside of it (I saw a picture of it in when I was looked up Egyptian pyramids.) I thought having an actual real live Pharaoh's pyramid instead of going through the trouble of making one up would be good. I'm not sure if there are actual traps, but in old tombs, there are usually many traps to discourage robbers going after their treasure.

When Yami talks about getting his inheritance and an emancipation, that is actually very legal. I looked it up. There are some inheritances that are available to the last living heir of a wealthy family, and they can receive them when certain guidelines are fulfilled (ie: age, status, etc.) This is usual in cases where there isn't a will. A youth can get an emancipation before their age of majority if they are self-sufficient, have an educational degree/diploma, or if they are married. Some have to get parental consent or have to have a court hearing. Since Yami had a court hearing and he is self-sufficient, he got emancipated.


End file.
